tucker301

Source - Delta Waterfowl July 12, 2007 Breeding Grounds Wet; Duck Numbers Climb Duck hunters will find plenty to cheer about in the annual Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, released Friday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The fourth highest Canadian pond count on record propelled the breeding populations of three duck species - northern shovelers, redheads and canvasbacks-to all-time highs and pushed the green-winged teal population to its second-highest level on record. Blue-winged teal took advantage of improved water conditions on both sides of the border to achieve their third highest breeding population ever. The total-duck breeding population climbed 14 percent to 41 million birds and mallards rose 10 percent to just over 8 million. May ponds across the surveyed area were at 7 million, a 15 percent increase from 2006 and 44 percent higher than the long-term average. "The breeding grounds got wet and five species are at or above record levels-that's great news," said Delta Waterfowl President Rob Olson after reviewing the numbers. Of the other surveyed species, gadwall rose 19 percent to 3.4 million breeding birds, wigeon jumped 29 percent to 2.8 million, green-winged teal rose 13 percent to 2.9 million, blue-winged teal were up 14 percent at 6.7 million, shovelers rose 24 percent to 4.5 million, redheads climbed 10 percent to just over 1 million, scaup bounced 6 percent from year's record low to 3.5 million and canvasbacks jumped by a surprising 25 percent to 865,000. Olson credits excellent water conditions in the parklands of Canada for the record redhead and canvasback numbers and near-record for green-wings. About the only bad news in the breeding survey was the beleaguered pintail, which dipped to 3.3 million in spite of a 111 percent jump in the eastern Dakota survey area. Olson says the good news extends well beyond the end of May, when crews from Fish and Wildlife and the Canadian Wildlife Service wrapped up the exhaustive month-long ground and air survey. "In many areas of the breeding grounds, heavy rains continued into June and July, which is quite unusual," he says. "When small wetlands are abundant, hens are more likely to re-nest and brood survival increases dramatically. For that reason, we expect good production from these areas." Despite all the good news, Olson advises hunters to temper their expectations about the prospects for the fall season, at least as far as mallards and pintails are concerned. "Production is a function of when and where the water comes," he explains. "Ideally, the most productive habitat gets wet early, when the first ducks arrive. This year some of the best areas were dry right up to the time the survey was conducted. The Coteau in the Dakotas didn't get rain until after the mallards and pintails had gone north, and the southern grasslands in Saskatchewan were dry. "Those are two of the most productive areas for mallards and pintails," he says. "We'd be more optimistic about those species if those areas had been wet early. The good news is that late-nesting ducks like blue-winged teal, gadwalls and shovelers should continue to do well. "The parklands of Saskatchewan were extremely wet and attracted a lot of mallards, but research tells us that production in the parklands is only marginal compared to the prairies." Olson says he continues to be concerned about low mallard numbers on the Canadian prairie despite the excellent water conditions of recent years. Saskatchewan's pond count has risen 105 percent since 2004 and is now 52 percent above its long-term average, but mallards are only 4 percent above the long-term average. Alberta was 68 percent wetter than the long-term average, but mallard numbers there are down 24 percent long-term. Manitoba was 21 percent over the LTA in ponds with just 2 percent more mallards than average. By contrast, the mallard count in the eastern Dakotas was up 138 percent long-term on a 23 percent increase in ponds. "We know that mallards tend to home in on the areas where they were hatched," Olson explains, "so the U.S. number would suggest that the Conservation Reserve Program is still hatching a lot of ducks and that we have some ongoing habitat problems in prairie Canada," Olson says. A similar trend is apparent with pintails, says Delta Scientific Director Frank Rohwer. "The lack of response by pintails in Canada is noteworthy," Dr. Rohwer says. "This is the second wettest year on record in Alberta, yet the pintail count was down 47 percent from a year ago and 55 percent from the long-term average. Saskatchewan was down 6 percent for the year and 21 percent long-term. Pintails track ponds, but they didn't in Canada. "Yet even as the pintail count was dropping in Canada, it was through the roof in the eastern Dakotas. Saskatchewan and Alberta are the traditional pintail factories, but when two-thirds more pintails nest in the eastern Dakotas than Alberta, that tells us something about the importance of CRP." "The mallard breeding population is at its North American Waterfowl Management goal, and CRP gets most of the credit," says Olson. "The U.S. mallard population is 116 percent above its North American Plan goal, but Canada is 20 percent below its goal. "That's a huge concern, because we know we're going to lose a minimum of a million acres of CRP in the next few years, and for every acre of CRP that disappears, mallard numbers will drop, no matter how much moisture the breeding grounds get. "Mallards and pintails arrive on the breeding grounds early, when cover is sparse and predators don't have much in the way of alternative prey," Olson explains. "CRP provides the big blocks of dense nesting cover mallards and pintails need. Canada doesn't have a program comparable to CRP, and that's why mallard and pintail numbers haven't responded despite the ideal wetland conditions." Olson says the numbers demonstrate the importance of U.S. duck hunters encouraged their representatives in Congress to support CRP, swampbuster and sodsaver in the current farm bill, along with the Emergency Wetland Loan Act and the Clean Water Restoration Act. "Historically, most of the continent's ducks originated in Canada, but thanks to CRP, the Clean Water Act and the duck stamp, a significant percentage of today's ducks originate in the U.S. It's important that we hang onto the programs responsible for producing those birds."

All are matters of preference. Waterfowlers and turkey hunters tend to go for the camo finishes. Not only do they helo with concealment, but they are easier to maintain (no oiling required to prevent rust. If you don't mind the fact that the finish will get nicked in places and you're not subject to lose track of your gun in the woods, then the camo is good for you. If your tastes are more traditional and you like the coolness of the black, then go for it. Barrel lengths can be a bit more involved, but the decision should be based on your hunting styles, your overall size and build, and your shooting style. Turkey hunters, upland birders, and swamp hunters tend to like the shorter barrels. They're easier to handle and point nicely and quickly. They are also a bit lighter. For hunting from a blind or pass shooting waterfowl and geese, the longer barrels offer their own advantages. The greater length will be appreciated by blind mates for getting the noise a couple of more inches out there. The longer sighting plane helps bring those long shots seemingly closer and makes for a smoother more fluid swing through the target. Given your set of circumstances, a 26" seems right, but you should shoulder all lengths and see what feels best to you. See episode 3 here. http://americangundog.com/straightshooting_AGD1.html

The following information is needed before that can be determined. Ballistic Coefficient (each load) Muzzle Velocity (each load) Temperature Elevation (altitude) Barometric Pressure Relative Humidity We'll assume zero wind just to keep things simple.

One in the chamber, two in the magazine, and one "floating" on the carrier underneath the bolt.

I don't know, but it would help to know what the current finish is. Camo? Black? Blued?

There are standards, but not all makers follow them explicitly. .703 is smaller, but that doesn't mean yours will pattern more tightly. Other factors such as the length of the forcing cone and backboring may apply to different guns. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotgun http://hunting.about.com/od/shotgun/l/aastshotgunfaqa.htm http://federalcartridge.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=5&s2=9 http://www.ssaa.org.au/newssaa/101-StoriesReviews/shotguns/chokes.html

First shotgun? A pump action shotgun unlocks the bolt after firing so that the action can be cycled to load another round. The bolt is probably opening more because you are unwittingly allowing the recoil to move the receiver assembly rearward while keeping a firm grip on the forearm. Lean into it a bit more and tighten your grip on the stock's pistol grip.

I tried to submit comment earlier today and it kept looping back and giving me the Next Step button. Did you get it to work?

Yes, I know. Yes, it can be done. I've discussed it before, so you can look through my posts and find the information. There aren't that many

I believe it's e-gunparts.com, and they and Brownell's will probably be your best choices.

You can increase the capacity by removing the limter plug. You can also "float" a shell on the carrier, but that requires a bit of a modification. It's been discussed here.

Resident turkey hunting maven, mudhen has tried them all. I believe his current favorite is the Rhino .660 with Winchester XR 6's, but look through his posts to be certain of that.

Forgot how young you are. But you do know how to Google, don't you?

I agree and I'm saving up for an ICBM

The stock pad gives you 14-3/8" LOP. http://www.benelliusa.com/firearms/partsAccessoriesPads.tpl

For the most part the labeling is strictly a marketing gimmic. It's not illegal to have or to posess it. If it were, you would have had to have produced a special license or department purchase order to buy it. Plenty of citizens shoot LE and military ammo every day. No big deal. As far as home defense issues go. Which would you rather do?... Use it protect yourself and worry about the consequences after the fact, or not use it and become a victim?

They pop out. It's easiest to push them out from the inside.

Probably a fragment of the bullet's steel core. Shooting a .50 at steel under 200 yards is begging for a hot piece of steel to hit you somewhere.

This fool was EXTREMELY lucky.

I've never used the plugs, but the Caldwell electronic muffs work well at the rifle range.

Hello, cmhunter, and welcome to the fold. 1. I've used the Dead Zone set for two seasons now and I love them, although I rarely use the Pass tube at all. I briefly tried the factory tubes and they worked fairly well, but I switched to the Dead Zone set for the benefit of being able to change tubes without tools. I also briefly tried a Patternmaster, but I like the DZ tubes much better. 2. For early season ducks I shoot faststeel 4's and 5's in 3". I switch to 3's and 2's after the first break. For geese, I use 3.5" 2's for the first round, followed by a couple of 3.5" BB's. If I do shoot hevi-shot, I just step down two shot sizes. I try to keep a couple of dead coyotes in my pocket in case I get a long-range cripple that looks like he's gonna make the cattails before I can get to him. Thumped one last year at 75 yards. 3. Click here The tubes are built to withstand hevi-shot, steel and Bismuth. As I said, I've shot Dead Coyote loads through mine with no adverse effects. 4. Technically, no, but a tight tube and large shot will sometimes result in a scattered and random pattern. The larger shot tend to not get together as easily as do smaller shot when forced through a tight space. It's like trying to fit 5 skinny guys or 3 fat guys through a doorway at the same time. There's a better chance of the skinny guys compressing together and getting through unscathed... Especially if that doorway leads to an all-you-can-eat buffet. 5. I don't remember exactly, but I think it's close to the IC. The trick is how it peels away the wadding to open up the pattern almost immediately. I've posted the constrictions here before. If you feel like looking through a few posts you can probably find the information. Best of luck to you! tucker

Bowman, Don't post the man's e-mail addy on a public forum like that! The man did you a big favor by sending you those pics, and you repaid him by giving his e-mail address to every spambot on the planet... and two on Mars.

Glad to help, cunstable

Plug in .527.

Actually, most of the gun reviews in that magazine and on the tv show come across as fluffy to me. I guess when you give the writer a gun and a hunting trip, the review gets in the back seat, where it belongs.